Zionsville Town Council denies Amberley rezoning

The Zionsville Town Council met Feb. 6 to consider a rezoning request and appropriate funds for two long-awaited projects, among other issues.

What happened: The council sided with the Zionsville Plan Commission in denying a request to rezone 72 acres at the northwest corner of CR 400 S and CR 875 E to make way for Amberley, a proposed 120-home Beazer neighborhood.

What it means: After two residents spoke against the development, the council unanimously voted to deny the rezoning request. This came after councilors Elizabeth Hopper and Joshua Garrett said they’d like to continue the issue to the next meeting, as they had a meeting later in the week with the petitioner. Other councilors questioned the timing of the meeting and moved to deny the request.

What’s next: The land will remain zoned as R1 Rural Residential.

What happened: The council approved funds to install a new traffic signal at the intersection of Oak Street and Kissel Road.

What it means: The resolution uses $110,000 from the Motor Vehicle Highway Fund to pay for the traffic light, which will be installed at an intersection that many Zionsville residents consider to be dangerous. Zionsville Supt. of Street and Stormwater Services Lance Lantz said the town had extra money in its Motor Vehicle Highway Fund in 2016.

What’s next: The project is expected to begin sometime this month and be complete in approximately 60 days.

What happened: The council approved using $260,000 from the Cumulative Capital Development Fund to acquire land needed to complete a pathway.

What it means: The town has long been trying to complete a pedestrian trail connecting the Royal Run neighborhood to Zionsville West Middle School but ran into problems acquiring right-of-way for the project. After an extended negotiation, the town came to an agreement with a private property owner to purchase the entire two-acre parcel of land needed to complete the path. After building the trail, the town could sell the remainder of the property.